Seattle Law Firm Offers Help to DePuy Hip Implant Victims

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The lawyers of those who claim to have been seriously injured by the DePuy ASR metal on metal hip implant have reached a landmark settlement deal clearing the way for eligible parties to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars from Johnson & Johnson. The Bernard Law Group has announced its intentions to help all those who qualify for this settlement, as well as others who may not be eligible but who should still be compensated for their alleged hardship.

Base pay can vary dramatically depending on certain key factors, and you don’t want to miss out on literally hundreds of thousand of dollars just because of a simple oversight.

Seattle, Washingotn (PRWEB)January 09, 2014

All around the world, persons who were implanted with the DePuy ASR or the DePuy ASR XL metal on metal hip implants were allegedly subjected to painful revision surgeries due to early failure of the devices. 12,000 of those persons filed suit against DePuy and Johnson & Johnson for the difficult situation they were put through.

Now, those lawsuits have borne fruit in the form of a monumental settlement (MDL Docket No. 1:10 md 2197, United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio) currently on the table from the two sides. Estimated at $2.5 billion, the settlement provides for eligible injured parties to receive a base payment of $250,000, with the exact sum contingent upon a number of factors.

Deducing eligibility and the exact entitlement amount is no easy feat, which is why the Bernard Law Group has announced its intention to help injured parties take part in this landmark deal. Lead attorney Kirk Bernard and the rest of the practice are familiar with the workings of the ongoing negotiations and are assisting all those who need help.

“Although it is technically possible for persons to take part in the settlement without the assistance of a legal team,” said Mr. Bernard, “we sincerely hope that eligible persons do not take that course of action.

“Base pay can vary dramatically depending on certain key factors, and you don’t want to miss out on literally hundreds of thousand of dollars just because of a simple oversight. With deadlines coming up soon, key paperwork has to be filed and bureaucratic hurdles must be overcome. Our law firm has the tools in place to ensure that happens in the most expedient manner possible.”

A website has been put together called usasrhipsettlement.com that highlights the details of this settlement offer. Our law firm has pulled key facts from that site in a bid to assist those pursuing compensation as part of the settlement.

1. Understanding the amount of money that a qualified individual would be eligible for will likely be one of the biggest concerns for injured individuals. At the outset, injured persons are eligible for $250,000. There are, however, ways in which a person would be unable to acquire that amount. If an individual was more susceptible to revision based off of age, body mass index, or a history of smoking, for instance, the full settlement amount would not be acquired.

2. The $250,000 should not be considered a limit to what affected parties might be able to achieve. The settlement establishes something called the Extraordinary Injury Fund for those who experienced serious, even life-threatening complications related to their revision surgeries. If these complications are deemed sufficient, the reward can end up being far higher than $250,000.

3. The settlement amount eventually acquired will not have payments for medical bills subtracted from it. Those payments, which can often prove exorbitant to injured persons, will be paid for on top of the aforementioned settlement distribution.

4. For those concerned about the legal fees they may be expected to pay, it’s important to realize that the settlement level for those without legal teams will only be 71% of what those with a legal team can obtain. This is so that persons who hired attorneys are not punished just because they hired legal help. The 71% level ensures that the amount received will be roughly equal.

5. Representation becomes particularly important if the person in question does not qualify for this particular settlement. This settlement does not preclude other lawsuits from being filed in conjunction with injuries sustained due to the DePuy ASR or other medical devices. An attorney would be able to guide injured parties through filing separate legal claims, but that knowledge will remain out of reach without a lawyer familiar with the ongoing matter.

6. The initial registration date for this settlement was January 6, and it’s critical that all eligible persons get their paperwork in by April 1. The Bernard Law Group will be assisting such persons in the coming months.

“The Bernard Law Group is opening its doors to affected individuals,” said Mr. Bernard, “so do not wait another second to obtain legal representation.”

Kirk Bernard has been protecting the rights of Washington personal injury victims for 30 years, achieving landmark court victories and settlements in the process. The Bernard Law Group provides legal representation for those injured in bicycle collisions, workplace accidents, medical malpractice situations, defective drug incidents, premises liability cases, and more. Persons interested in a free consultation should follow this link to the website to learn more.